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Overall potato acreage in the United States will drop by 60,300 acres and will likely fall short of last year’s levels in 10 of 13 reporting states, the June 3 issue of North American Potato Market News says. Colorado acres will increase though, while acres will be flat in California and Texas. Each of those states will likely experience shifts in the types of potatoes grown, the report notes. Chip potato contract volumes…

North American french fry sales may be coming back faster than the industry had expected with the anticipated buildup of finished-product inventories not having happened, the May 27 issue of North American Potato Market News says. “We believe that April sales of finished product exceeded industry expectations,” the report says. “However, we are picking up anecdotal evidence that sales are coming back more quickly than fryers had anticipated when they cut 2020…

A national campaign to connect consumers with the Canadian food system called It’s Good, Canada has been launched, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI), says in a release on May 27. The campaign will feature personal stories about Canadians working in the food supply system from across the country on both the front and back lines. It will also provide credible resources for Canadians to find fact-based information about the Canada’s…

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) organization have evaluated two genetically modified (GM) potato lines and have ruled they are safe for human consumption, a news release from the regulatory body on May 22, says. The two potatoes are derived from Innate potato lines V11 and Z6. V11 has reduced acrylamide potential and reduced browning traits (blackspot bruising), while Z6 has both traits plus disease resistance to foliar late blight, the…

While the United States potato industry appreciates the government aid which has been announced so far, they still need more to make it through the pandemic, the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPC), says in a news release on May 27. “Given the scope of this crisis, we knew the initial funding would be insufficient to meet the need of family farms. Based upon the limited resources announced under this direct payment…

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has given $81,000 to the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association (AFFPA) through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) to upgrade its online producer directory, a release from the government says on May 21. “This initiative will help solidify the connections between the agriculture producers who want to direct market and their potential customers,” Rod Bradshaw, with Beck Farms, says in the release. The funding will allow AFFPA to expand…

After crop losses last fall in Manitoba and Alberta, french fry processors were forced to import potatoes from the United States to fill increased processing demand, however those imports slid in mid-March as the COVID-19 pandemic caused french fry demand to drop off, the May 20 issue of North American Potato Market News says. U.S. trade data shows during January to March Canada imported 1.187 million cwt of fresh potatoes from the…

As the pandemic reduces demand for potato products Canadian potato holdings are at 32.25 million cwt as of May 1, which is 13.1 per cent higher than last year, the May 13 issue of North American Potato Market News says. On April 1, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba were the only provinces with more potatoes in storage than they held a year earlier, by May 1 though, British Columbia was the only…

Sales of fresh potatoes fell in April following March’s pandemic stockpiling increase, the May 6 issue of North American Potato Market News says. American fresh potato sales dropped 6.8 per cent in April, compared to last year. This was a sharp reversal from March when there was a 11.2 per cent jump in sales. “While shipments continued to run ahead of the 2019 pace in a number of growing areas, other areas…

From May 8 to 21, McDonald’s Canada will donate a portion of proceeds from all french fry sales to support COVID-19 relief efforts and other recent Canadian tragedies, the fast food chain announced in a release on May 6. The campaign will be called Fries For Good and proceeds will go towards the Canadian Red Cross, the Canadian Emergencies and COVID-19 Response Fund, the Nova Scotia Stronger Together Fund and disaster response…